Translation of the gerund and gerundial complexes

Translation of the gerund performing its nominal or verbal func­tions in the sentence usually does not create great difficulties. Care should be taken, however, when identifying the nature of the -/ngform verbal, which may influence its way of translation. Thus, the -/ngform moving in the sentence below, where it has an attributive function, may be taken by mistake for the present participle. In reality, how­ever, it has the nature of a gerund which is also proved by its syntactic function:

Chester liked a moving day to Честеру подобалось, що в

be dry and fair. (Cheever) день переїзду була суха гарна

погода.

Nouns and infinitives are usually employed in Ukrainian as func­tional equivalents for the English non-prepositional and prepositional gerundial objects:

The noun or the infinitive is also used in Ukrainian to convey the

The adverbial functions of the gerund are conveyed in Ukrainian with the help of the diyepryslivnyk or a phrase with the diyepryslivnyk. When paraphrased, the gerund may be translated as an adverb (some­times as a subordinate clause):

As can be seen, «moving», though it performs an attributive function to the noun («day») is nevertheless a regular gerund by its nature, as it always is in the compounds like dressing-table, dress­ing-gown, sitting-room, writing-table, etc.

Translation of the indefinite or perfect gerund in its nominal function of the subject, object or a predicative usually presents no great difficulty either, provided it is not used idiomatically. When used in idioms, proverbs or sayings, the gerund may acquire some trans­parent meaning and not express its direct lexical meaning. The trans­lator should choose then some similar means of expressing their idiomatic meaning in Ukrainian. For example:

1) Doing is better than saying. Судять не по словах, а по
(Saying) ділах. (Вірять не словам, а

ділам)

2) Cunning is the fools' sub- Хитрощі у дурнів замість
stitute for wisdom. (Saying) розуму (nop. Хоч дурний та

хитрий).

Translation of the indefinite gerund, as has been said, mostly depends on its function and meaning in the sentence. Gerunds of nominal functions, therefore, are usually translated into Ukrainian as nouns of the corresponding lexical meaning:

Crying and graying followed all По всьому дому лунав плач

over the house. (Hughes) упереміш з молитвою.

The ugliest habit of our teen- Найогидніша звичка наших

agers today is smoking. (NfUkr.) підлітків - паління/куріння.

Predicative and subjective gerund may also be translated with the help of the infinitive or infinitival phrase:

Deciding is acting. (Saying) Вирішити - ие діяти/

означає розпочати діяти.

Note. On rare occasions the indefinite gerund may be trans­lated into Ukrainian as the finite verb:

«I've heard of making a ga- «Буває, і стайню переоб-

rage out of a stable,» Tom was ладнують на гараж,» - відпо-
saying to Gatsby. (Fitzgerald) вів Том Ґетзбі/Чув, що із стай-

ні роблять гараж...»

Usually infinitival or substantival are also the Ukrainian func­tional equivalents of the gerund used as part of the compound modal

and aspect verbal predicates: The phone went on shrilling.

(Cusack)

Anthony finished cutting and

bu ttering the rolls. (London)...the house wanted painting.

(Fitzgerald)

We know a thing or two about fi nancing plays now. (Maugham)

«Marriage doesn't prevent you le aving a woman - does it?» (Greene)

gerund in its attributive function: / hated the idea of turning out.

(Maugham)

The prospect of getting away

fr om the m isery... made it easier

to bear. (Ibid.)

After watching him walk away... Soames returned to the draw­ing-room. (Galsworthy)

He spoke without shifting his position, without even turning to look at her. (E.Seghal)

...no one could very well slip in or out of that house without b eing seen - (Dreiser)

Телефон не переставав дзеленчати.

Ентоні закінчив нарізувати і намазувати маслом булочки.

... будинок/дім потребував пофарбування/ треба було фарбувати

Ми дещо-таки знаємо про сьогоднішнє фінансування вистав.

«Обов'язки законного шлюбу не заважають вам кидати дружину, чи не так?

Про виселення я не допускав навіть думки.

Перспектива вирватися із иих злиднів... полегшувала переносити їх.

Провівши його очима... Сомз повернувся знову до вітальні.

Він говорив, не поворухнув­шись з місця і навіть не повер­нувшись до неї обличчям.

Ніхто/жоден не міг уско­чити в той будинок чи вискочити з нього непомітно/ щоб його не помітили.

The prepositional gerund in the function of the object may some­times be translated into Ukrainian as a diyepryslivnyk introducing a subordinate clause:

What had Tom meant by say- Що Том мав на увазі,

ing that she ate out of his hands? сказавши, що вона «їсть у
(Maugham) нього з рук?» (що вона стала

зовсім приборканою)

Depending on the meaning expressed in the sentence, a sim­ple/indefinite gerund may sometimes be translated into Ukrainian as a subordinate clause:

There are some advantages jn В тому є певні переваги,

being fifty and an old hand, шо тобі п'ятдесят, і що ти
(J.Priestley) досвідчений.

Still other simple/indefinite prepositional gerunds in the func­tion of an object are often translated into Ukrainian through a preposi­tional noun or a subordinate clause:

«I look forward to hearing «Чекаю на відповідь від

you.» (Cronin) тебе/що ти відповіси.»

The perfect gerund is usually translated with the help of the subordinate clause:

He did not remember ever hav- Він не пригадував, що будь-

ing been in that room. (Galsworthy) коли бував/побував у тій

І thanked him for having кімнаті.
helped me. (Ma ugham) Я подякував йому за те. що

він допоміг мені.

This perfect gerund can naturally be translated by means of a prepositional noun as well, with the predicate verb referring to the past, which may be indicated by the corresponding adverb: Я подякував йому /тоді/за допомогу.

Translation of the passive gerund is equally predetermined by its function in the sentence. The main means of conveying the mean­ing and function of the indefinite passive and perfect passive gerund are the same as those employed to express the active voice gerund.

They are as follows:

1) A noun or a corresponding nominal subordinate clause:

... I am indebted to Miss Betsey for having been born on a Friday. (Dickens)

Я зобов 'язаний міс Бетсі за Я зобов 'язаний міс Бетсі,

своє народження саме в шо я народився саме в
п'ятницю. п'ятницю (щасливий день).

2) A verbal word-group or a subordinate clause:

... the need for being loved began to wrestle with her pride. (Eliot)

1)... потреба бути коханою 2) Потреба в тому, щоб її

увійшла в конфлікт з її по- кохали, зіткнулася з її по­
гордою, гордою.

3) An infinitival sentence introduced by the conjunction or an
object subordinate clause:

Only to think of being married to such a girl. (Dreiser)
1) Подумати тільки, щоб 2) Подумати тільки, щоб

одружитися з такою дівчиною, така дівчина та вийшла за

нього заміж. 3) A subordinate clause and no other means:

She could not bear being read Вона вже не витримувала/не

to any longer. (В. Sha w) могла терпіти, шоїй читають.

... she felt a strange certainty... У неї була якась/майже

of being watched... (Galsworthy) впевненість, шо за нею

спостерігають.

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